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ALL
ABOUT INDIANS
BY
D. J. DICKIE
TORONTO
J. M. DENT &> SONS LTD.
All rights reserved
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
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CONTENTS
page
PAGE
War Hawk
.
7
The Burial House
.
3 7
Little Bear
♦
9
How the Rabbit got
Pink
-*■
Eyes-in-the-Water
.
IO
Eyes .
.
38
A Day in the Indian Camp
ii
Indian Dancing Game
.
49
The Evening
.
12
The Sweat Bath
37
How the Birds came .
.
13
In the Buffalo Days
.
43
How an Indian lights a
Lacrosse .
.
44
Fire without Matches
14
Why Rabbits eat Cabbages
45
The Travois
*
15
How Corn came to
THE
The Old Woman in
THE
Indians
.
46
Moon
♦
16
The Song of the
Corn
The Baby's Cradle .
♦
17
Ear .
.
47
The Lullaby of the Iroquois
18
How the Indians make Corn
Wawana and Sagamos
.
19
Cake .
.
48
Pauline Johnson
.
20
The Medicine Man .
.
49
How the Rabbit lost his Tail
21
Tecumseh ♦
.
50
The Clown Game
.
23
How the Old Man
STOLE
Signalling
.
24
the Sun's Leggings .
5i
How the Moose was made
How the Squaws
PLAY
- Smaller
25
String-Ball
.
52
Canoe Song
.
27
How the Old Man
MADE
Bowl Stones
.
27
the World again
.
53
Why the Rabbit was
Sighting Game .
.
55
Whipped
.
28
Hiawatha's Hunting .
.
56
Another Way to call
THE
An Indian Fable
.
57
Moose
.
30
How Limping Fox ran the
How the Robin got
HIS
Gauntlet *
.
58
Red Breast
.
3i
Wampum .
.
61
The Little Hiawatha
33
Song of the Bluebird
.
61
An Indian Sawmill .
.
34
How Hiawatha built his
How the Indians learned
Canoe.
62
to take Antelope
35
The Rabbit Skin Boys
.
65
5
PAGE
How the Wolverine froze
to Death ... 66
Little Bear's Medicine . 68
Hiawatha's Fishing . . 70
How THE CREES WERE SAVED. 7 1
The Magic Sugar Lump . 72
The Whipper ... 72
The Peace Pipe . . . 73.
The Council ... 74
The Boy and the Lion . 80
How the Indians learned to
make Clay Dishes . 81
PAGE
The Legend of Niagara . 82
The Chicken Dance Society 84
The Wicked Witch . . 85
Little Hole-in-the-Cheek. 87
Joseph Brant ... 88
Nenebojos and Pokwis . 89
The Totem Pole . . 92
His Best Friend . . 93
How Hiawatha went to
the Happy Hunting
Ground ... 95
Acknowledgments . . 96
COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS
In the Yoho Valley
Eyes-in-the-Water
Moonlight on the Bow
Mount Assiniboine
The Medicine Man
Emerald Lake
The Three Chiefs
Niagara
. facing page 7
„ „■ 10
„ „ 16
33
49
» » 65
„ „ 69
76
6
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2016
https://archive.org/details/dentscanadianhis02dick
Canadian Pacific Rail-Mays.
IN THE YOHO VALLEY.
ALL ABOUT INDIANS
WAR HAWK
This is War Hawk. It is a
feast day. He has painted
hi^ face with red and black.
He wears his war dress.
His armlets, his belt, his leg-
gings and his moccasins are
trimmed with beads. His
necklace is made of beads
and Elk’s teeth.
War Hawk is a great chief.
He has been in many battles.
He can tell wonderful stories
of the Indians who lived
long ago.
He is a great hunter. He
Harmon, Banff knows well all the animal
friends of the Indians. He knows all the secrets
of hunting them.
War Hawk is old. He remembers how the
Indians lived before the white men came to
Canada. He remembers the songs and games
and dances the Indians used to know.
He will tell you some of the stories and the
secrets. [Turn Over!
7
Harmon, Banff
This is War Hawk’s Tee-pee. He is the chief
of his tribe so his Tee-pee is painted with colours.
The Tee-pee is made of cow skin cut in strips
and neatly sewed together into a cone. It is
placed over a frame of poles. The pole you see
on the outside holds up a little flap at the top
so that the smoke may pass out.
In the middle of the Tee-pee there is a bright
fire. Around the walls there are piles of furs.
War Hawk and his family sleep on these.
Near the door a tall forked stick is placed in
the ground. Upon it the Squaws hang War
Hawk’s bow and quiver of arrows, his war
bonnet, and ornaments.
War Hawk sits beside the fire, facing the door.
The men sit on his left hand, the women and
children on his right.
8
LITTLE BEAR
Little Bear is War Hawk’s grand-
son. He is nine years old.
He is dressed in his best clothes
to-day because it is his birthday.
His mother made all his clothes.
She made his shirt and trousers of
deerskin. His moccasins are made
of deerskin and trimmed with
beads. His vest and armlets are
covered with many coloured beads.
He is very proud of them.
He is proud of his bonnet, too.
It is called a War Bonnet. It is
made of eagle feathers. Each feather
counts for a brave deed.
The War Bonnet belongs to Little Bear’s big
brother. Little Bear will not have one of his own
until he is grown up and goes to war. His brother
let him put it on because it is his birthday.
You could make a War Bonnet for yourself of
chicken feathers. Gather twenty or thirty clean
feathers from the chicken-yard. Take a strip of
cotton four inches wide and a yard long. Double
the cotton lengthwise, and sew the feathers
between the edges.
McDermid, Edmonton
9
EYES-IN-THE-WATER
Eyes-in-the-water is Little Bear’s sister. She
is ten years old. She has her feast-day dress
on, too.
Eyes-in-the-water does not talk and laugh as
little white girls do. She thinks that is silly.
She walks about quietly. She helps her mother
cook the meals and make clothes for the family.
She has a doll made of skin. Sometimes she
and her little friends make a small Tee-pee and
play house in it.
In the evening, War Hawk calls Eyes-in-the-
water to him. He makes her stand in front of
him and watch him. He makes funny faces and
motions with his head and hands. He tries to
make Eyes-in-the-water laugh. If she does not,
he tells her that she is a good girl and will grow
up to be a wise woman.
Eyes-in-the-Water Sings
In the dark sky
Peeps a star
High and far.
Sing, little star !
Sing your song to me!
IO
EYES-1 N-THE- WATER.
{Ha nnon— Ba nff.
Stafford — Calga ry .
A DAY IN THE INDIAN CAMP
Little Bear and Eyes-in-thc-water get up at
sunrise. They run down to the river to bathe.
When they come out of the water, they stand up
very straight, look at the sun, and thank the
Good Spirit for the bright day. War Hawk
taught them to do this.
Then Little Bear hurries off with the other
boys to drive in the ponies, while Eyes-in-the-
water goes back to the Tee-pee to help her
mother get the breakfast.
They have boiled meat for breakfast. The
Braves eat first. By the time they have finished,
the boys come in with the ponies. The Braves
mount and ride off to hunt, while the Squaws
and children eat their breakfast.
All day the boys practise shooting or running
or wrestling. The little girls help the Squaws to
sew new Tee-pees, to make moccasins, or to dry
the meat for winter.
Sometimes they all go berry picking. Some of the
berries they eat at once. The rest they dry and
save for winter. Sometimes they go fishing. Often
they play merry games among the Tee-pees.
At sunset the hunters return, bringing plenty
of fresh meat for supper.
ii
THE EVENING
In the Moon of Falling Leaves the nights are
chilly. They light the fires early in the Indian
lodges.
Little Bear and Eyes-in-the-water have been
playing or working outside all day long. They
are very hungry, but they are good children. They
wait for their supper till the Braves have eaten.
The hunters sit round the fire. The Squaws
dish the food from the pot into bowls. Eyes-in-
the-water hands them to the Braves. War Hawk
says grace. This is what he says:
An Indian Grace
Father, Thou,
Look upon us,
Now we partake
Of this food with Thee.
When supper is over, Little Bear and Eyes-in-
the-water put away the bowls. Little Bear brings
wood and makes up the fire. Eyes-in-the-water
puts a coyote skin on the ground near it. She
and Little Bear sit upon it. They sit very still
and keep very quiet. War Hawk is lighting his
pipe. He is going to tell a story.
You may read it on the next page.
12
HOW THE BIRDS CAME
Long and long and long ago, when the little
Indian children first played in the forest, there
were no birds and all the woods were still. The
children had only the leaves to play with.
When summer was over, the Great White Bear
came down from the north. He breathed frost
through the woods and all the happy green
leaves turned red and gold as they died.
Then came Wolf Wind. He tore the shining
leaves from the trees and blew them all away.
The children were very lonely, for now they
had no one at all with whom to play. At Christ-
mas time came Glooscap, the Great Good Spirit,
and asked the children what they most wished for.
“Oh! Glooscap,” cried the children, “we are
very lonely. The leaves are gone. We have no
one to sing with, no one to dance with, no one
to play with. Good Glooscap, make the leaves
live again.”
Then Glooscap called the Rain Wind, the Sun
Wind and the Wind of Flowers. They caught
hands and danced through the woods. They
blew back all the lost leaves.
Glooscap waved his wand and all the gold and
brown and crimson leaves turned into singing
birds.
13
HOW AN INDIAN LIGHTS A FIRE
WITHOUT MATCHES
First he gathers some dry leaves and brush,
which he places under a little pile of sticks to
be ready.
Then he looks about until he finds a stone
with a small hole in it. He takes a stalk of the
soap-weed plant and puts one end of it into the
hole in the stone.
Putting one open palm on each side of the
soap -weed stalk, he makes the stalk twirl back
and forth in the hole, very quickly.
Soon smoke begins to rise at the end of the
stalk in the hole.
When it bursts into flame, he pushes the blazing
stalk into the dry leaves under the bonfire.
Try it and see if you can light a fire in this way.
And the smoke rose slowly, slowly.
Through the tranquil air of morning, —
Ever rising, rising, rising,
Till it touched the top of heaven.
Hiawatha .
14
Harmon, Banff
THE TRAVOIS
Little Bear’s father, Kogum, has been hunting.
He caught a black bear, a beaver, three lynx,
and many coyotes.
As he caught each one, he skinned it. His
wife, Wawana, cleaned the skins and took care
of them.
The skins were heavy so Kogum made a travois
to carry them. Little Bear helped him make it.
They cut two long, strong poles and laid two
short poles across them about three feet apart.
They tied the short poles to the long ones with
strips of skin. They laid a blanket over the cross
pieces to hold the skins.
In the morning, Kogum will tie the skins care-
fully into the blanket, mount his horse and so
ride into town, dragging the travois with the skins
on it after him. He will sell the skins in town.
THE OLD WOMAN IN THE MOON
There was once an old Algonquin woman who
knew almost everything. One thing she did not
know. She did not know where the sun went at
night. She asked the Great Spirit. She asked
him every morning and every evening till he was
tired of hearing her.
He sent a messenger to tell her to stop asking.
He said if she would hide herself away where he
would not be bothered with her any more, he
would tell her where the sun went at night as
soon as she finished her knitting.
The old woman hid herself in the moon. She
thought the Great Spirit would not be bothered
with her there. There is no one else in the moon
so she lives alone with her cat.
She keeps a pot of meat on the fire and every-
once-in-so-often she has to stop knitting and stir
the meat to keep it from burning. While she stirs
the meat, the cat unravels her knitting. Each time
she has to begin all over again.
So she sits there yet and has never found out
where the sun goes at night.
j6
MOONLIGHT ON THE BOW.
Canadian Pacific Railways.
THE BABY’S CRADLE
In the Month of Flowers, the Good Spirit sent
a baby brother to Little Bear and Eyes-in-the-
water. They called him Sagamos.
They began at once to make a cradle for him.
Little Bear found a large strip of birch bark and
Eyes-in-the- water gathered the moss.
They sewed the birch bark together at the head
and foot of the cradle. Then they lined it with
the moss. That made a soft bed for Sagamos.
Little Bear hunted through the woods till he
found a short forked stick and a long, strong pole
with a tip which bent easily. The forked stick
he fixed upright in the ground. Then he leaned
the long pole across the fork as you do when you
boil the kettle at a picnic.
When Sagamos was tied safely into his birch-
bark nest, his mother fastened him, cradle and
all, to the bending tip of the pole. Eyes-in-the-
water then tied a little cord to the bottom of the
cradle. When she pulls the cord the cradle springs
up and down instead of rocking back and forth as
our cradles do. See if you can make a cradle
like this on your sand table.
While Eyes-in-the-water pulls the cord she
sings this song: [Turn Over!
THE LULLABY OF THE IROQUOIS
Little brown baby-bird, lapped in your nest.
Wrapped in your nest,
Strapped in your nest.
Your straight little cradle-board rocks you to rest,
Its hands are your nest,
Its bands are your nest;
It swings from the down-bending branch of
the oak.
You watch the camp flame and the curling grey
smoke ;
But, oh ! for your pretty black eyes sleep is best —
Litde brown baby of mine, go to rest.
Little brown baby-bird, swinging to sleep,
Winging to sleep,
Singing to sleep.
Your wonder-black eyes that so wide open keep,
Shielding their sleep,
Unyielding to sleep.
The heron is homing, the plover is still,
The night owl calls from his haunt on the hill,
Afar the fox barks, afar the stars peep —
Little brown baby of mine, go to sleep.
E. Pauline Johnson.
From Flint and Feather, published by arrangement with
the Musson Book Company, Ltd,, Toronto.
18
W AW AN A AND SAG AMOS
Wawana has brought
Sagamos out to show
him to you. Is he
not a nice little brown
brother? Little Bear
and Eyes-in-the-water
think he is.
They helped Wa-
wana make this beau-
tiful bed for him. It
is made of soft, white
deerskin. The flowers
are made of red and
green beads.
Wawana’s dress is
made of deerskin, too.
Her collar is woven of porcupine quills. Her
head shawl is of silk, red and yellow. Kogum
bought it for her in the town. He gave a coyote
skin for it. Kogum and the children are very
proud of Wawana’s long black hair.
Indian children love their mothers and fathers
as you love yours. When Kogum and Wawana
are old, the children will take good care of them.
Pollard, Calgary
19
PAULINE JOHNSON
Pauline Johnson was an Indian
maiden. She wrote the poem
Lullaby of the Iroquois. She wrote
many other poems about the
Indians. Perhaps your teacher
will read you another one.
Pauline’s father was the Head
Chief of the Iroquois. They lived
near Brantford, Ontario.
When Pauline was a little girl, too little to go
to school with her brothers and sisters, her father
used to tell her many stories and verses about
the Indians.
Pauline liked the verses best. Once when her
father went to town he asked her what he should
bring her. Instead of asking for a doll, she said,
“ Verses, please, father.” So he brought her a
little blue book of verses.
As soon as she learned to write she began to
write verses of her own. She worked hard at
them and by the time she was grown up she had
learned to write beautiful ones, like the Lullaby
of the Iroquois and The Song my Paddle Sings.
You should learn those two by heart.
20
HOW THE RABBIT LOST HIS TAIL
In the days when the animals ruled the world
the Rabbit was the kindest of them all. He was
a very handsome animal then. He had a long
bushy tail and a thick brown coat. His legs were
straight and even. He walked like other animals.
One day in the Moon of Bright Nights, the
Rabbit met an Indian in the woods. The Indian
had lost his way and was very tired. He told
the Rabbit that he was going to be married
and that, if he were not there in time, his bride
would be forced to marry a rich old Brave who
wanted her.
The Rabbit said that he would show him the
way very gladly, and as soon as the Indian had
rested a little they set off. The Rabbit went first
and the Indian came behind. By and by the
Indian, who was not watching where he went,
fell into a deep pit in the road. He tried and
tried but could not climb out. Then he shouted
to the Rabbit that now he was lost indeed.
“ Come,” said the Rabbit, “ don’t be afraid.
I will get you out.” He hung his long bushy
tail down over the edge of the pit and told the
Indian to catch it and pull himself out. The man
did so, but he was too heavy. The tail broke off
and he fell back into the pit.
21
Then the Rabbit hung his hind legs down over
the edge of the pit and clasped his front legs
round a tree. The Indian took hold of the
Rabbit’s hind legs. He pulled and pulled. The
legs stretched and stretched. They grew longer
and longer, but at last the Indian pulled himself
out. They went on their way again and came in
time to the wedding.
The Indian and his bride were very grateful
to the Rabbit. The bride gave him a fine white
coat to wear in winter time so that his enemies
should not see him in the snow.
Ever since that day Rabbits have had short
tails, long hind legs, and wear white coats in
winter.
And the rabbit, the wabasso,
Scampered from the path before them,
Peering, peeping, from his burrow,
Sat erect upon his haunches.
Longfellow.
22
THE CLOWN GAME
Micmac children like to play the Clown Game.
You can play it, too, if you wish. It is good fun.
The children are divided into two tribes. Each
tribe takes one corner of the playground or
schoolroom for its wigwam. One child in each
wigwam dresses up as a clown. The others put
feathers in their hair and blankets round their
shoulders so that they look like Indians.
When all are ready, one clown takes a flower
or a pencil or some other small thing in his hand
and, with his tribe behind him, he goes to visit
the other tribe.
Then the clown tries to sell whatever he has
brought in his hand to the other tribe. The
Indians all sit in a circle and watch him. He
says and does all the funny things he can think of.
If any Indian belonging to the other tribe
laughs, he must go home with the clown and
his tribe.
It is then the turn of the other clown and his
tribe to act.
23
SIGNALLING
Kogum is scouting.
The tribe has just
moved into the valley
below. Kogum went at
once to the top of the
hill to see if any enemy
was near. He can see no
one. He is signalling War
Hawk that all is safe.
Kogum has a little
mirror in the palm of
his hand. He holds it
so that the sun shines
upon it. It sends a
bright flash far down
into the valley. War
Noble, Banff Hawk is more than a
mile away but he can see the flash from the mirror.
Kogum closes his hand to hide the flash. Then
he opens it so that the flash will show. War Hawk
will count the flashes. One flash means
careful.55 Three flashes mean “ All is safe.5
Hawl watches and counts carefully. Kogum
flashes tjiree times.
War : ^Hs the Squaws to make camp.
“ Be
War
24
HOW THE MOOSE WAS MADE SMALLER
A Story to Play
Og
> I, People in the Play
The Messenger of the Great Spirit
The Moose (a big boy with a coat over his head)
The Chief
The Tribe
The Messenger sits on a high seat. The Tribe sits
in a circle on the ground facing him. The Chief
stands in the centre of the Tribe.
Messenger. My children, I am the Messenger of
the Great Spirit. He has heard your tears
falling on the ground. He sends me to ask
what troubles you.
The Tribe ( speaking all together ). O! Ha, O!
The Chief. O Messenger of the Great Good
Spirit, we thank you for coming to help us.
The Tribe. We thank you, O kind Messenger.
The Chief. It is the Moose that trouble us, O
Messenger. They are so large, they eat the
leaves off the trees. They trample our crops.
They have killed many of our people.
The Tribe. Alas ! Our friends are gone. Ala 4
The Messenger. Let some one bring me a strip
of birch bark three hands long.
[A Squaw goes out to get it.
25
The Tribe. Alas! The trees are bare. Our crops
are spoiled. Our friends are gone.
[The Squaw brings in the strip of birch bark
and gives it to the Messenger . He rolls it
into a horn. He blows three times. A
Moose as tall as a tree comes out of the
forest.
The Moose. I have come, O Messenger of the
Great Good Spirit. What do you want of me?
The Messenger. You are much too large, O
Moose. You spoil the crops and kill the
jndians. Come here to me! •==
[The Moose comes near. The Messenger puts
his hands on the head of the Moose and
pushes him down and down till he is only
a little taller than an Indian.
The Messenger. Now, Moose, go out into the woods
and do no more harm. [The Moose goes.
The Chief. We thank you, O Messenger.
The Tribe. We thank you, O Messenger. We
thank the Great Good Spirit.
To this day the Moose is only a little taller
than an Indian and still the Indian hunter calls
him by blowing on a horn of birch bark.
CANOE SONG
In my canoe I glide along
Beneath the willow shade,
The water sings a pleasant song
Unto my paddle blade.
BOWL STONES
Indian boys and girls play Bowl Stones instead
of Marbles. It is played in this way.
Take seven plum stones (prune stones will do).
Blacken each of them upon one side.
Put the seven stones into a little wooden bowl.
Shake the bowl about and then throw up the
stones. Catch them again in the bowl.
The thrower counts one for each stone which
turns up black in the bowl when they are caught.
The players throw in turns. He who first
counts ten wins the game.
27
WHY THE RABBIT WAS WHIPPED
The Rabbit is very fond of lettuce. His grand-
mother also likes it.
One spring the Rabbit was lazy. He planted
only a short row of lettuce. When he and his
grandmother had eaten all the lettuce from their
own garden, the Rabbit stole some from the Old-
Lady-Next-Door.
He stole some lettuce every day for a week.
The Old-Lady-Next-Door was very angry. She
made a large bag with a string at the top to draw
it up. She laid it open on the ground and put
some nice fresh lettuce leaves inside. Then she
hid behind the currant bushes with the string in
her hand.
By and by the Rabbit came through the fence.
He saw the lettuce and crept into the bag to
nibble it. The Old-Lady-Next-Door pulled the
string. The Rabbit was caught.
“ Now, my fine fellow,” said she, “ I’ll just
take you over the hill and drown you in the Big
Pond. That will stop your stealing.”
She started up the hill with the bag on her
back. The bag was heavy and the day was hot.
Half-way up the hill the Old-Lady-Next-Door
sat down to rest. Soon she fell asleep.
28
Just then the Fox came up the hill. He sniffed
at the bag.
“What are you doing there, Rabbit?” he
whispered.
“ I have refused to marry the daughter of the
Old-Lady-Next-Door,” the Rabbit whispered
back, “ and she is taking me home to make
me do it.”
Now the Fox wished to marry the daughter
himself, so he said:
“ What will you take to change places with
me? ”
“ Why,” said the Rabbit, “ I’ll change for
nothing.”
So they changed.
When the Old-Lady-Next-Door woke up, she
took the bag over the hill to the Big Pond.
“ In you go,” she said, as she opened the bag
and emptied the Fox out into the water.
The Fox was very much surprised. He could
not understand it, but he swam to a log and got
safely away.
The Rabbit went home and told his grand-
mother all about it. She was very glad to have
him safely at home, but she whipped him on both
his paws for stealing and lying. He promised
never, never to do such things again.
29
ANOTHER WAY
TO CALL THE MOOSE
The Messenger of the Great Good Spirit taught
the Indians to call the Moose by blowing three
times upon a horn made of birch bark. Some
Indians call him in another way.
They wade out into the water and take up a
handful. Then they let it drip through their
fingers. It drips and drips. It sounds as if a
Moose were drinking.
Far in the forest the Moose hears the water
drip, dripping. He thinks it is his mate drinking
and he comes to find her.
30
HOW THE ROBIN
GOT HIS RED BREAST
Winter had come to the world. The snow lay
deep upon the ground. The wind whistled
through the bare branches of the trees.
The birds and animals had no fire and they
were very cold. One day an eagle flew over the
mountain. He told them that the Indians who
lived on the other side of the mountain had fire.
The Raven, the Robin, the Mole, and the Flea
said they would go and ask the Indians for some
of their fire. They set out very early in the
morning and travelled all day. Just as it grew
dark they saw the firelight shining through
the trees.
The Raven, the Robin, the Mole, and the
Flea crept softly towards the fire, but they could
not get very near for the Indians sat in a circle
round it.
Then the Raven, the Robin, the Mole, and
the Flea crept back into the darkness and whis-
pered together as to what they had better do.
They were afraid to ask for the fire, so they
decided to wait till the Indians were all asleep
31
and then steal some. The Robin said he would
creep up and steal it.
By and by the Indians wrapped themselves in
their blankets, turned their feet to the fire, and
went to sleep. When all was still, the Robin crept
up to the fire. He took a live coal in his beak and
turned to fly away with it. But the coal burned
him so that he dropped it. It winked and hissed
in the snow. It turned black. It was going out.
Poor Robin did not know what to do. He leaned
over the coal and fanned it with his wings. He
leaned so close to it that it scorched him. But
in spite of all, the coal went out.
Now the Raven, the Robin, the Mole, and the
Flea knew that it was wrong to steal. When
Robin came back with his poor breast all burned
red, they were sorry and ashamed. Next day
they went bravely to the Indians and asked for a
coal. The Indians gave them one packed with
touchwood in a buffalo horn to keep it from
going out.
Then the Raven, the Robin, the Mole, and the
Flea took the fire proudly home to their people.
And ever since that day Robins have had red
breasts.
32
MOUNT ASSINBQINE.
Canadian Pacific Railways,
THE LITTLE HIAWATHA
There the wrinkled, old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha,
Rocked him in his linden cradle,
Bedded soft in moss and rushes.
Safely bound with reindeer sinews;
Stilled his fretful wail by saying,
££ Hush ! the Naked Bear will get thee ! 55
Lulled him into slumber, singing,
££ Ewa-yea ! my little owlet !
Who is this that lights the wigwam?
With his great eyes lights the wigwam?
Ewa-yea ! my little owlet ! 55
At the door on Summer evenings
Sat the little Hiawatha;
Heard the whispering of the pine-trees.
Heard the lapping of the water.
Sounds of music, words of wonder;
£CMinne-wawa! ” said the pine-trees,
“Mudway-aushka ! ” said the water.
Longfellow.
c
33
AN INDIAN SAWMILL
This is an Indian Sawmill. When they wish to
cut up a log, the Indians first build a rack like
the one you see in the picture.
They lay the log on top of this rack. One
Indian climbs up and stands on top of the log.
The other stands on the ground beneath it. They
push the saw up and down between them and so
cut the log in pieces.
It takes a long time to cut logs in this way, but
Indians have plenty of time. They are never in
a hurry.
34
Harmon, Banff
HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED
TO TAKE ANTELOPE
Once upon a time Little Beaver took his grand-
mother’s best spoon out to play and lost it. His
grandmother spanked him till he cried. He cried,
and cried, and cried, and cried.
“ If you mean to keep on making that noise,”
said his grandmother, “you had better go out-
side.”
So Little Beaver went outside the Tee-pee and
leaned against it and cried, and cried, and cried.
By and by he felt very sleepy, so he lay down
close to the wigwam and fell asleep.
As he slept he dreamed that he saw some
Indians hunting Antelope. Before that the
35
Indians could not shoot Antelope because they
run so fast the Indians could never get near them.
In his dream Little Beaver saw the Indians
shooting them, and this is the way they did it.
All the Indians, Squaws, and children made a
great circle round the Antelope. Then the Indians
walked slowly towards the centre, making the
circle smaller and smaller.
The Antelope began to run round and round
inside the circle. Soon they grew dizzy from
running in a circle. Then the Indians ran up to
them and shot them with their bows and arrows.
When Little Beaver woke he went into the
wigwam and told his grandmother what he had
seen in his dream. She told the hunters and
ever since then the Indians have known how to
hunt Antelope.
Wah-wah-taysee, little fire-fly,
Little, flitting, white-fire insect.
Little, dancing, white-fire creature,
Light me with your little candle,
Ere upon my bed I lay me,
Ere in sleep I close my eyelids !
Longfellow.
36
THE BURIAL HOUSE
When an Indian dies,
his friends feel very
sad. They do not
sleep that night but
sit beside him weep-
ing all night long.
In the morning,
they go out into the
hills and hunt till they
find a quiet place
among the trees.
Here they build for
him a little house,
high up on a pole as
you see it in the
picture.
Then they wrap
Harmon, Banff their dead friend in
his best blanket and carry him to the little house.
They lay him in it and put his pipe and his bow
and arrows beside him.
Every night for a long time, one of his friends
goes out to the hills. He stays near the little
house all night long. He calls the name of his
lost friend softly through the darkness, to show
that they are lonely in the camp without him.
37
HOW THE RABBIT GOT PINK EYES
The Rabbit lived with his grandmother. She
was a very old lady and the Rabbit did everything
for her. When he had given her her breakfast
and made the house tidy, he went out to set a
snare to catch some food for the next day.
One morning when he went to look at his trap,
it was empty. There had been something in it,
but someone had come and stolen the meat.
This happened every morning for a week. The
Rabbit was very angry.
“ I’ll catch that wicked thief,55 he said, and he
set a great trap near the little snare.
That evening he went to see if he had caught
the thief. As he went along the path, he thought
the woods must be on fire. The light grew
brighter and brighter as he came near his trap.
He saw that he had caught a Great White Light,
and he was so frightened that he ran home to
his grandmother.
When he told her about the Great White Light,
she laughed. She said he ought to be ashamed of
himself. She sent him back to see what it was.
As he came near the trap again, he heard
a voice.
38
“ Let me out,” called the voice. “ Oh ! please
let me out. Will no one come and let me out? ”
The Light was so bright the Rabbit could not
look at it. He picked up two lumps of mud and
threw them at the Great White Light. Then he
opened his eyes and looked at the muddy spots.
He saw that he had caught the Man-in-the-Moon
in his trap.
The Rabbit was very much frightened, but the
poor Man-in-the-Moon kept calling for help, so
the Rabbit covered his eyes with his arm and
ran in under the Light. He cut the cord of the
trap and let the Man-in-the-Moon out.
The Man-in-the-Moon got safely home, but he
has muddy spots on his face still. You can see
them when the moon is full. He goes away every
month and tries to wash them off, but he never
gets his face really clean.
The Rabbit had looked at the Great White
Light so long that the rims of his eyes turned
pink. And to this day he blinks when he looks
at a light.
39
INDIAN DANCING GAME
Hey, ho, Up and away !
Up and away !
Up and away !
Hey, ho, Up and away !
Up and away !
Up and away !
Hasten, hasten, let us go !
Up and away !
Up and away !
Hasten, hasten, let us go !
Up and away !
Up and away !
Children ! children ! let’s be gay !
Up and away !
Up and away !
Children ! Children ! let’s be gay !
Up and away !
Up and away !
To play this game the children stand in two
rows, facing one another. Each child has two
short sticks in his hand.
40
They sing the verses to any easy tune which
they know. If one boy has a drum, he may beat
it in time to the singing. The others shake their
sticks, keeping time with them.
As they sing the first verse, they rattle their
sticks and dance up and down, standing in
one place.
As they sing the second verse, each child faces
his neighbour, rattles his sticks in time to the
singing and jumps up and down.
As they sing the third verse, the two lines of
children change places, dancing through in time
to the music.
When the two lines have turned to face each
other, they are ready to play again.
THE SWEAT BATH
When he was ten years old Little Bear went for
the first time to take a Sweat Bath with the
Braves. He was very proud to go.
The Squaws built a fire and put large stones in
it to become red hot.
While the stones were heating, they built a
wigwam of birch bark. They fastened the bark
down all round the wigwam and left only a slit
for a door. Inside the wigwam they put a tub of
water and a dipper.
41
The men and boys went inside the wigwam
and took off all their clothes. They handed them
out to the Squaws who laid them in a dry place.
By this time the stones were red hot. Each Squaw
took two flat sticks and, lifting a hot stone between
them, handed it into the wigwam.
The Braves rolled the stones into the middle
of the wigwam and poured cold water upon them.
This made the steam rise. It filled the wigwam.
It was very hot. The sweat ran down the bodies
of the Braves. It was so hot that Little Bear
felt sick, but he held up his head and did not
ask to go out.
They stayed in the Sweat Bath two hours. By
this time they were all very clean. They splashed
cold water upon one another. Then they lifted
up the birch bark from the ground so that the
air might come in.
They danced up and down till they were dry.
Then the Squaws handed their clothes in to
them. They dressed themselves and the Sweat
Bath was over.
42
The Buffalo Park, Wainwright
IN THE BUFFALO DAYS
In the Buffalo Days the Indians were rich and
happy. War Hawk remembers those days. There
were so many Buffalo that they roamed across
the prairies in great herds.
In the summer time War Hawk and his Braves
rode out on hunting parties to kill Buffalo. The
party divided into four groups. Each group rode
up on a different side of the herd. Sometimes
they set fire to the grass and so drove the Buffalo
all together in the middle. Then it was easy to
shoot them.
When they had killed many Buffalo, they
camped. The Squaws skinned the animals and
tanned the skins. They used the skins to make
robes, leggings, shields, Tee-pees and many
other things.
They cut the flesh into long strips and dried it
43
in the smoke of the camp fire. Or they pounded
the dried meat into little bits with their wooden
hammers, mixed it with berries and packed it
into a bag made of Buffalo skin. When the bag
was as full of meat as it would hold, they melted
Buffalo fat and poured it into the bag over and
around the meat. The fat hardened as it cooled
and joined the meat together into a solid lump.
This meat was called Pemmican. It was very
good to eat. The Indians put the bags of pem-
mican away to save for eating in the winter time.
As long as there were plenty of Buffalo, the
Indians had all the food and clothes they needed.
LACROSSE
Lacrosse is an Indian game. They play it on the
grass in summer and on the ice in winter.
They divide the men and boys of the tribe
into two teams. Each team has a goal. Each
player has a Lacrosse-stick with which he tries
to pick up the ball and throw it into the goal
of the other side.
The side which makes the most goals wins the
prize. The prizes are hung on a pole while
the game is being played. They give knives,,
tomahawks, blankets, leggings, and many fine
things for prizes.
44
WHY RABBITS EAT CABBAGES
The Chief called all the animals to a Council.
They came and sat in a great circle round the fire.
When all were seated, the Chief rose and said:
“ I have called you together so that you might
each choose the food you like best. Then each
animal must eat his own food and leave the rest
for others.”
The Squirrel chose nuts. The Beaver chose
bark. The Bear chose berries and honey.
At last, after he had called all the others, the
Chief turned round and saw the Rabbit, sulking.
“What is the matter, Rabbit? ” he asked.
“ I belong to the largest tribe of animals in
the world,” said the Rabbit. “You ought to have
let me choose first.”
“Oh ho!” said the Chief. “You are sulky,
are you, Mr. Rabbit ! I will soon cure you of that.
You shall have for your food whatever grows
where you fall.”
The Chief took the Rabbit by the hind legs
and threw him as far as he could.
The Rabbit fell into the middle of a bed of
cabbages, and ever since that day he has liked
best to eat cabbages.
45
HOW CORN CAME TO THE INDIANS
Once upon a time the Indians had nothing to
eat for a long time. Each morning the Braves
went out to hunt. Each evening they came back
without any food.
The Chief called them all to a Council round
the fire. “ I will call a Medicine Man,” said the
Chief, “ who will make us some strong, magic
medicine to bring us food.”
He called once. He called twice and out of the
woods sprang two Medicine Men just alike. Each
wore a black Eagle feather on his head. Each
wore a Buffalo skin painted red, and whatever
one did the other did also.
When the Medicine Men saw each other they
were very angry. Each thought the other was
making fun of him. They dared each other to
jump into the river.
“ Dare you jump in? ” said one.
“ I dare,” said the other, and they jumped
together into the swiftly flowing water.
They sank to the bottom of the river and there
they met an Old Woman. She asked them what
they wanted. They said they wanted food for
the Indians.
The Old Woman gave them each a small wooden
bowl and a spoon. “ When you want anything
46
to eat,” said the Old Woman, “ stir in the bowl
three times with the spoon.”
The two tall Medicine Men thanked her and
rose again to the top of the river.
Each wished to be first to give the magic bowl
and spoon to the Chief, but they reached the land
exactly together.
As they placed their feet upon the shore, the
Great Spirit turned them both into tall stalks
of green Corn. Their Buffalo robes turned into
leaves. The wooden bowls became the cobs upon
which the Corn grew.
Ever since that the Indians have planted Corn
so that they may have food when game is scarce.
THE SONG OF THE CORN EAR
Who sings?
The little corn ear; corn ear.
From the top of the stalk
He sings.
“ Oh, the cloud is floating, floating,
Oh, the rain is falling, falling,
Oh, the sun is coming, coming.
“ Cloud and rain and sun.
Here they come !
Cloud and rain and sun.
Hither come ! ”
47
HOW THE INDIANS MAKE
CORN CAKE
Before the White Men came to Canada, the
Indians grew Corn, Pumpkins and Sunflowers.
They made sweet sauce of the pumpkins. They
made oil from the Sunflowers. They made cakes
of the Corn.
When the Corn was well dried, the Squaws
beat it into meal with wooden hammers. Then
they sifted it through a basket.
They mixed the meal with water till it was
like soft dough. They rolled it into a loaf which
they wrapped in leaves and baked in the ashes.
The Indians taught the White Men to make
Corn Cake.
The Indians Say That
The Corn is Our Mother,
The Bow and Arrow is Our Father.
The Squaw must plant,
The Brave must hunt.
48.
THE MEDICINE MAN
Noble— Baiiff.
THE MEDICINE MAN
Kogum was sick. He had pains in his back and
legs. Wawana sent Little Bear for the Medicine
Man. He came with his Medicine Bag.
He said that a bad spirit had taken hold of
Kogum and was pinching him. He said they
must all help him to drive the bad spirit away.
The Medicine Man took three little stones out
of his bag. He put one in each of Kogum’ s hands
and one in his mouth. He next took out three
large stones and put them in the fire to heat.
Then he began to dance around Kogum as he
lay on the rug. He danced and shouted till the
children were dizzy with watching him.
By this time the large stones were hot. He
wrapped them in moss and put one under each
of Kogum ’s arms and one at his feet. He took
some leaves from his bag, put them in some
water and made Kogum drink the water. Then
he made Wawana and the children dance and
shout to drive the bad spirit away.
By and by the pain in Kogum’s back grew
less. The Medicine Man said the bad spirit
was going away. They danced and shouted still
louder. At last all the pain went away and Kogum
fell asleep.
D
49
TECUMSEH
Tecumseh was a brave Indian who helped the
Canadians to fight against their enemies.
He was a tall and very handsome Indian, very
brave and very wise.
He and his Warriors fought beside the Cana-
dians all day long. At night the men were tired.
The Leader said they had better give up the
fight and go to their homes. But Tecumseh
stood up and said: “We are fighting to keep
our land. We are not beaten. We are only tired.
Do not let us be like a fat and lazy dog who goes
off with his tail between his legs if anyone shouts
at him. Let us stay here and rest to-night. Then
in the morning we will fight again and drive the
enemy out of our country.”
The Warriors listened to Tecumseh. They did
stay and in the end they won the war. But
Tecumseh was killed in the battle.
50
MVVWk vivfcv'
i-'WWWV !i
f PROVINCIAL NORMAL SCHOOL v
HOW THE OLD
STOfe^TffE'^rW^T"*^'* ‘ ~
Once upon a time, the Moon made her husband,
the Sun, a pair of beautiful Leggings. The Sun
was very proud of them. He wore them every
day when he went to work.
The Sun works all day. When he comes home
at night to sleep, his wife, the Moon, and his
children, the Stars, go out to work. They are a
very busy family.
Now the Old Man saw the Sun’s Leggings and
he wanted them. He made up his mind to steal
them. While the Sun slept he crept softly up to
his wigwam and peeped in. There lay the Sun
fast asleep and snoring, with the Leggings under
his head for a pillow. The Old Man was very
much afraid, but he wanted the Leggings so badly
that he held his breath and drew them from under
the Sun’s head. He hid them under his robe and
fled away as fast as he could.
When he had run a long way and was very
tired, he lay down in a cave and went to sleep,
for he thought the Sun would never find him
there. But next morning when he awoke, the Sun
was shining in his face. The Sun laughed at him
and took the Leggings from him.
But the Old Man wanted the Leggings so much
51
that the next night while the Sun was sleeping he
stole them again. He ran twice as far away and
hid under a great rock, but when he wakened
the Sun was shining in his face.
This time the Sun was angry. He took the Old
Man by the back of the neck and shook him.
“ Don't you know,” he said, “ that the whole
world is my wigwam and that I look into every
part of it every day? You cannot hide from me,
you silly Old Man. You leave my Leggings alone
or the next time it will be the worse for you.”
And after that the Old Man left the Sun’s
beautiful Leggings alone.
HOW THE SQUAWS PLAY STRING-BALL
Eyes-in-the-water and the other little Squaws
often play String-Ball.
They have two sides and each side has a goal.
There are two balls tied together with a strong
cord about two feet long.
Each little girl has a short stick with which she
tries to pick up the string with the two balls tied
to it. She tries to throw the balls into the goal
of the other side. The side which puts the balls
into the other goal most often wins the game.
52
HOW THE OLD MAN
MADE THE WORLD AGAIN
Long and long ago, there were only animals
living in the world. They worked very happily
together and all went well till one day it began
to rain.
It rained and rained and rained. The creeks
grew into rivers. The rivers overflowed their
banks. The lakes spread over the land. And
still it rained.
The animals could find no dry places in which
to sleep or hunt, so they went to the Old Man
and asked him what they had better do.
The Old Man smoked his pipe a long time and
thought very hard. Then he took an axe and cut
down ten times ten great trees. He tied them
together with magic as he sang his war song.
“ Let all the animals get on this raft,” he called.
And you may be sure they all climbed on as
quickly as they could.
The raft sailed for days and days till at last it
stopped raining. The sun shone out and the
animal people saw that there was no land left
anywhere. They were very much afraid and again
they asked the Old Man what to do.
“ If I had even a tiny bit of earth,” he said,
“ I could make the world over again. Loon, you
53
are the best diver. You must dive to the bottom
of the water and bring up some earth.”
So the Loon dived. He was gone two whole
days, and when he came up he was dead. Old
Man breathed into his bill so that he came to
life again.
“ I did not get near the bottom,” said the
Loon. “ Someone who is a better diver than I,
must go.”
The Beaver dived. The Otter dived. The
Gray Goose and the Gray Goose’s wife dived.
Each one of them came up dead. Old Man
breathed life into them, but each one said that
he had not nearly reached the bottom.
Now the animals were more afraid than ever.
No one knew what to do. As they were whisper-
ing and groaning, someone laughed. Everyone
looked around to see who laughed. They saw
the Muskrat. He was saying good-bye to his wife.
He laughed because they all looked so frightened.
“ I will dive,” said the Muskrat, “ I will bring
up some earth.” So he dived. He was gone four
days and then he came up dead. Old Man
breathed life into him, and then the Muskrat
opened his little claw and showed them a tiny
lump of earth which he held there.
Old Man took the earth and rubbed it in his
hands till it was warm and dry. Then he blew
upon it and it began to grow larger. It grew
quite large and then it stopped.
54
“ There is not quite enough earth here,” said
Old Man. “ Muskrat will have to dive again.”
So the Muskrat dived again. This time he was
gone five days. He came up dead, but Old Man
soon made him live again. This time he had a
large lump of earth in his paw.
Old Man dried the lump of earth and blew
upon it. It grew and grew and grew. He sent
the Deer to run round the new earth to find out
how large it was. The Deer was gone all summer.
When he came back he said he had been running
all the time and had just gone round the earth.
Then Old Man blew again. The earth grew
very large. He sent the Coyote to see how large
it was. The Coyote never came back. He grew
old and died before he got all the way round
the new world.
SIGHTING GAME
Kogum is teaching Little Bear to find an animal
when it is far off.
He looks for an open space on the side of a
hill. Then he looks all round very carefully. He
sees a black spot far off on another hill. It may
be two miles away. Perhaps it is a Bear. Perhaps
it is a rock.
55
Kogum sets his bow upright in his quiver. He
places them both between his eye and the black
spot. He watches. If the spot moves past the
bow, it is an animal, and he and Little Bear will
go to trap it. If the spot does not move, Kogum
knows that it is a stone or a stump. They must
look elsewhere for game.
HIAWATHA’S HUNTING
Forth into the forest straightway
All alone walked Hiawatha
Proudly, with his bow and arrows,
To the ford across the river.
Hidden in the alder bushes.
There he waited till the deer came.
And his heart within him fluttered,
Trembled like the leaves above him.
As the deer came down the pathway
Hiawatha aimed his arrow.
Dead he lay there in the forest,
By the ford across the river.
Longfellow.
56
AN INDIAN FABLE
A family of Mice once lived under a crooked log.
As they had never been outside, they thought
they were the only people in the world.
One of them stood up on his toes and stretched
his tiny arms. He could just touch the under
side of the crooked log. He thought it was the sky.
He felt himself to be very tall indeed, and sang :
cc In the world,
In the long, wide world,
There is none like me,
Little me !
I can touch the sky.”
Just then a great brown Bear who was looking
for honey, put his paw through the crooked log
where the little Mouse stood boasting. The Bear’s
big paw crushed the poor little thing into the
earth.
The yellow sunlight shone in through the hole
in the crooked log, but the other little Mice ran
away and hid in the dark.
57
HOW LIMPING FOX RAN
THE GAUNTLET
One morning in the Moon of Berries, when Little
Bear went out with the other boys to drive in the
horses, one of them was missing. They looked
everywhere but could not find it. When the
Braves rode out to hunt that day they, too, looked
for the lost horse, but it was not to be found.
The next morning, another horse was gone.
That evening War Hawk sent a party of men to
watch the horses through the night, for he knew
someone must be stealing them.
They watched for three nights and no horses
were stolen. The fourth night they did not watch
and a horse was taken. So it went on for two
weeks. When a watch was kept the horses were
safe. But if no one watched, someone drove one
of them off.
One hot afternoon, Little Bear and Eyes-in-
the-water were picking raspberries on the side of
a steep hill about a mile from the camp. They
did not laugh and talk and eat the berries as little
white children do. They moved silently through
the bushes as War Hawk had taught them. They
picked and picked, filling their bowls.
Half-way down the steep side of the hill. Little
58
Bear stopped and lifted his hand to make Eyes-
in-the-water look. There, in the thickest of the
bushes, was a little cave, and in it lay a strange
Indian, fast asleep. They knew he must be the
horse thief.
The children did not speak. They knew just
what to do. Little Bear hid behind the bushes
to watch and Eyes-in-the-water slipped down the
hill and ran to the camp. Very soon she brought
the Braves to the place. They caught the thief
and shut him up in a small wigwam at the very
end of the camp.
That evening when the fires were lighted, the
Squaws and children took their places in two long
rows reaching right through the camp from the
little wigwam to War Hawk’s Tee-pee. They
stood about four feet apart. Each of them had
a switch in hand.
The thief was brought out of the little wigwam
and told that if he reached War Hawk’s Tee-pee
safely, they would let him go. He began to run
down the long path between the rows of Squaws
and children. Each of them tried to hit him as
he passed. He ran as fast as he could, but he
got many blows and was almost ready to fall
when he reached the end of the line. He was
made to stand up before War Hawk.
War Hawk. Oh, Wicked One, what is your name?
Limping Fox. Limping Fox, great Chief.
59
War Hawk. Oh, lazy and shameless Indian, why
did you steal our horses?
Limping Fox. Great Chief, I am one of a small
tribe. We are very poor. We have only two
old horses. We cannot hunt. Our women and
children are hungry.
War Hawk. You should have asked my young
men for food. They would have given it to
you. You must give back the horses, but if
you will lead us to your home we will take
food to your people.
Then Limping Fox was sorry for what he had
done and told the Braves where he had hidden
the horses. Next day War Hawk’s people took
corn and pemmican to the hungry ones.
6c
WAMPUM
Long ago the Indians used Wampum instead of
money. A string of Wampum was worth so much
money. If an Indian wished to buy a gun from
you, he would give you so many strings of
Wampum for it.
Wampum is made from clam shells. The
Squaws carve the shell into little beads and string
them on a thread made of Deer sinew. Some-
times they weave the Wampum strings into broad
belts and use them to send messages from one
tribe to another.
A white Wampum belt means peace. If one
tribe sends a white belt to another, it means : “ We
would like to be friends with you.” If one tribe
sends a dark belt to another, it means : “ We are
going to war ; will you come and help us ? ”
SONG OF THE BLUEBIRD
cc Hey-o! hey-o! hey-o!
My song is still,
Sad at heart am I.”
Sad at heart, the little bluebird,
Sad indeed is he,
His song is still
Hey-o ! hey-o ! hey-o !
61
HOW HIAWATHA BUILT HIS CANOE
“ Give me of your bark, O Birch Tree!
Of your yellow bark, O Birch Tree!
Growing by the rushing river.
Tall and stately in the valley!
I a light canoe will build me,
Build a swift Cheemaun for sailing.
That shall float upon the river,
Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,
Like a yellow water-lily !
“Lay aside your cloak, O Birch Tree!
Lay aside your white-skin wrapper,
For the Summer-time is coming,
And the sun is warm in heaven,
And you need no white-skin wrapper ! 55
Thus aloud cried Hiawatha.
And the tree with all its branches
Rustled in the breeze of morning,
Saying, with a sigh of patience,
“ Take my cloak, O Hiawatha! 55
With his knife the tree he girdled ;
Just below the lowest branches,
Just above the roots he cut it,
Down the trunk, from top to bottom,
With a wooden wedge he raised it,
62
Stripped it from the trunk unbroken.
“ Give me of your boughs, O Cedar!
My canoe to make more steady,
Make more strong and firm beneath me!”
The Cedar whispered, bending downward,
“ Take my boughs, O Hiawatha! 55
Down he hewed the boughs of Cedar,
Shaped them straightway to a framework,
Like two bows he formed and shaped them,
Like two bended bows together,
“ Give me of your roots, O Larch Tree!
My canoe to bind together
That the water may not enter.
That the river may not wet me!”
And the Larch, with all its fibres.
Shivered in the air of morning.
Said with one long sigh of sorrow,
“ Take them all, O Hiawatha! 55
From the earth he tore the fibres,
Closely sewed the bark together;
And he took the tears of balsam,
Took the resin of the Fir Tree,
Made each crevice safe from water.
“ Give me of your quills, O Hedgehog!
I will make a necklace of them.”
From a hollow tree the Hedgehog
With his sleepy eyes looked at him,
Shot his shining quills like arrows.
Saying, with a drowsy murmur,
Through the tangle of his whiskers,
63
5)
“ Take my quills, O Hiawatha!
From the ground the quills he gathered.
All the little shining arrows,
Stained them red and blue and yellow,
With the juice of roots and berries ;
Into his canoe he wrought them,
Round its waist a shining girdle.
Round its bows a gleaming necklace,
On its breast two stars resplendent.
Thus the Birch Canoe was builded
In the valley, by the river,
In the bosom of the forest,
And it floated on the river
Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,
Like a yellow water-lily.
Paddles none had Hiawatha,
Paddles none he had or needed.
For his thoughts as paddles served him,
And his wishes served to guide him;
Swift or slow at will he glided.
Longfellow.
64
Canadian Pacific Railways.
EMERALD LAKE,
Hudson's Day Company, Edmonton
THE RABBIT SKIN BOYS
These boys are Rabbit Skin Indians. They live
in the far north of Canada. The Rabbit Skins
are very poor Indians. They have no fine Tee-
pees, no warm fur robes and blankets such as
War Hawk’s people have. In summer they are
happy, but in winter they are often cold and
hungry.
Then they go to the Mission. It is near their
camp. A Minister and his wife live at the
Mission. They bring the Rabbit Skin children
in and make up a big fire to warm them. They
make soup and cocoa for them. They give them
warm coats and caps.
E
65
One day Little Billy Longfoot had the tooth-
ache. The Minister wished to pull out the
tooth, but Little Billy would not let him. The
Minister’s wife said she would tie a string to the
tooth. “ Then we will tie the other end of the
string to the door knob,” she said, “ perhaps that
will cure the tooth.” They did that. Then some-
one shut the door quickly and out popped the
tooth. Billy Longfoot laughed at that. He was
very glad the tooth was out. They put a scarf
around his cheek to keep him from taking cold.
HOW THE WOLVERINE FROZE
TO DEATH
In the Micmac country, down east by the sea,
lived a young Wolverine who was very proud
of himself.
He went, one day, to visit his brother the Bear.
The Bear was glad to see him. He put on the
pot and cooked him a good dinner. After dinner,
they sat down to smoke and chat.
“ If there were no soap- weed sticks and no
stones about, how would you make a fire, my
brother?” said the Bear.
“ No one could make a fire without soap-weed
sticks and a stone,” said the proud Wolverine,
“ I can do it,” said the Bear.
66
“ Then show me how, brother Bear,” said the
Wolverine.
The Bear gathered a little pile of maple bark
in front of his wigwam. He jumped over the
pile and as he did so it burst into flame.
“That is wonderful, brother Bear,” said the
Wolverine. “ Please show me how to do it.” So
the Bear gave the Wolverine the power to make
a fire by jumping over the pile.
The Wolverine was so proud of his new power
that he used it all the time. He made fires at
every turn in the path. By and by he used his
power all up.
By this time it was winter. The Wolverine was
cold. He wanted a fire. He made a pile of bark
and jumped and jumped, but no fire came, so the
poor thing froze to death.
In the springtime he thawed out again, but as
he was asleep he did not know that he was
thawed.
One day his brother, the Raccoon, came by.
“ Wake up, brother Wolverine,” said he. “ It is
very late.”
“ Thank you, brother Raccoon,” said the Wol-
verine. “ I must have overslept myself.” And
he trotted off into the woods as proudly as ever.
67
LITTLE BEAR’S MEDICINE
When Little Bear was twelve years old, Kogum
told him that it was time for him to go to find
his Medicine.
Wawana and Eyes-in-the-water built a Sweat
Bath for him and he stayed two hours in the
lodge with the steam rising about him. Then he
ran out and jumped into the lake.
When he came out of the lake it was dark, but
Kogum was ready and led him off into the woods.
They did not speak till they came to the very
top of a high hill.
Then Kogum showed Little Bear a large flat
rock, and told him to lie down there till he had
dreamed what his Medicine was to be.
Little Bear was so tired after his bath and swim
that he went to sleep at once. He slept soundly
and did not dream at all that night.
Next day he stayed all day upon the rock,
though it was very hard and hurt him. He was
hungry, too, for he had had nothing to eat. At
sundown he went to sleep, and again he slept
all night without dreaming anything.
Next day the sun was very hot and Little Bear
68
THE THREE CHIEFS.
Stafford— Calgary.
grew more and more thirsty. In the afternoon
he was so weak from hunger and thirst that the
tears ran down his cheeks, but he would not
leave the rock till he had dreamed what his
Medicine was to be.
That night he slept and dreamed. In his
dream he saw a great black Bear coming towards
him. It walked on its hind legs, upright, and
carried in its paw a beautiful Peace Pipe with a
long stem and trimming of horsehair and scarlet
feathers. The Bear came close to Little Bear.
He built a fire and lighted the Peace Pipe. He
blew the smoke toward the north and toward
the south. Taking another whiff, he blew the
smoke toward the east and toward the west.
Then he handed the Peace Pipe to Little Bear
and motioned that he should smoke.
In the morning when Little Bear awoke, he
remembered all the dream quite plainly. It was
a beautiful dream. He was very glad that he had
stayed upon the rock as his father had told him.
He went down from the hill. At the foot he met
Kogum, who was waiting for him. He told his
father all the dream. Kogum was very proud and
glad. He said that the Peace Pipe meant that some
day Little Bear would be a great Peace Chief.
When they reached the camp, Wawana and
Eyes-in-the-water had a feast ready for Little
Bear. All their friends and neighbours came to
the feast. They brought necklaces and feathers
69
and blankets for Little Bear. War Hawk gave
him a necklace of Bears’ claws to wear.
Everyone was glad that Little Bear had found
his Medicine and that it was Peace Medicine.
THE WAR SONG
Oyay! Oyay!
I am young !
I fear not death.
Oyay ! Oyay !
I am strong!
I fear not any man.
Oyay! Oyay!
I have painted my face,
I toss up the tomahawk;
Who comes to fight with me?
70
HOW THE CREES WERE SAVED
Long and long ago the Cree Indians lived beside
a river with great falls upon it. They built their
wigwams below the falls and lived there for a
long time in peace.
At last their bitter enemies found out where
they were living, and made up a war party to go
and drive them from their homes.
When the war party reached the river edge they
found an old Squaw fishing. They were glad.
“ She is a Cree Squaw,” they said, “ and will
show us the way to her camp.” The old Squaw
said she would show them the way, and they put
her in the first canoe.
All the afternoon and evening the old woman
sat there as still as could be. As it grew dark,
the war party drew near the Great Falls. It was
dark, they could not see and the wind rustled
the trees so that they could not hear. Down,
down they came, nearer and nearer. The old
woman sat quite still and said never a word.
At last the warriors in the canoes heard the
roar of the Great Falls, but it was too late to stop.
They were swept over and drowned.
The old woman was drowned, too, but she
had saved her people.
71
THE MAGIC SUGAR LUMP
A Huron woman was tapping a Sugar Maple
Tree. The sap ran down on to the chip and
made a little lump of sugar.
The woman was about to eat the lump when
a person she did not know stood by her and said :
“ Do not eat the lump, put it in a box. When
you need sugar, take the lump and mark the
place in the big sugar kettle, where the sap is
boiling. The syrup will fill the kettle up to the
place where you mark it with the lump.”
The Huron woman kept the lump and so it
turned out.
THE WHIPPER
Indian fathers and mothers are very fond of their
children. They do not like to whip them even
when they are naughty. This is bad for the
children.
The Kickapoo Indians know that it is bad for
the children not to be whipped when they are
naughty, so they have a Public Whipper, who
goes around, once every week, to each wigwam in
the camp and whips any child who has done
wrong that week.
72
THE PEACE PIPE
The Peace Pipe is smoked when peace is made
between two tribes of Indians.
It is made of white stone and is painted with
colours. The stem is often four feet long and has
beads, coloured horsehair, or porcupine quills
hanging from it.
The Chief lights the Pipe and points it toward
the sun. He takes a whiff of smoke and passes
it to the warrior next him. Each warrior does
the same until the Pipe has been round the circle.
The Peace Pipe
Gitche Manito, the mighty,
From the red stone of the quarry
With his hand he broke a fragment,
Moulded it into a pipe-head,
Shaped and fashioned it with figures;
From the margin of the river
Took a long reed for a pipe-stem;
Filled the pipe with bark, of willow,
And erect upon the mountains,
Gitche Manito, the mighty,
Smoked the calumet, the Peace Pipe.
Longfellow.
73
THE COUNCIL
Once, when War Hawk was a young man, a
band of Cree Indians came down upon his tribe
in the night and carried off many of their horses.
Squaws, and children.
Next morning, Sleepy Eye, the Chief of War
Hawk’s tribe, called his people about the fire.
Even the Squaws went to that Council. They
planned how to get back their women and horses
and how to punish the Crees. They said they
would ask their neighbours, the White Stony
Indians, to go with them and help them fight
against their enemies.
They chose three chiefs, Spotted Tail, Deer-
foot and Sleepy Eye, to go to the White Stony
camp and ask them to help. They sent word to
Eagle Arrow, the Chief of the White Stony Indians,
that the three Chiefs were coming. Eagle Arrow
had his Council fire ready. His Braves sat in a
half-circle around one side of the fire. The
Squaws and children sat back in the shadow of
the wigwams.
Sleepy Eye, Spotted Tail and Deerfoot came
up to the fire. They did not speak, but sat down
on the other side of the fire. Then Eagle Arrow
rose. He took up the Peace Pipe and lit it at
the fire. He held the Peace Pipe toward the sun.
74
He took one whiff of smoke and passed it to
Sleepy Eye. When Sleepy Eye had taken one
whiff, he passed it to Deerfoot. Each Indian in
turn smoked and passed the Peace Pipe on round
the circle. All this time no one spoke a word.
When all had smoked, Eagle Arrow rose again
and said:
Eagle Arrow. Brothers, we thank the Great Spirit
that we are all here.
All the Braves. We thank the Great Spirit for
His goodness.
Sleepy Eye. Oh, Eagle Arrow, you are a great
Chief. It makes us glad to sit by your fire.
All the Braves. You have said, O Chief.
Eagle Arrow. You have come a long march to sit
with us.
Sleepy Eye. True, O Chief, but we so wished
to come that it seemed but a little way.
All the Braves. You have said, O Chief.
Sleepy Eye. I raise my hand to heaven and take
the white feather to brush out the ears of my
brothers that they may hear well.
All the Braves. Our ears are open, O Chief.
Sleepy Eye . I raise my hand to heaven and take
the white wool to brush out the eyes of my
brothers that they may see well.
All the Braves. Our eyes are open, O Chief.
Sleepy Eye. I raise my hand to heaven and take
the clear water to wash the dust from the bodies
of my brothers that they think well.
75
All the Braves. Our minds are open, O Chief.
Sleepy Eye. I raise my hand to heaven and take
the white linen to wipe the hearts of my
brothers clean of all evil. I call down sunshine
into the hearts of my brothers. That is all I
have to say.
Eagle Arrow. Our hearts are open to hear the
words of our brothers. Let them speak on and
tell us what is in their hearts.
Deerfoot. O Chief, we have come to you in sad-
ness and you make our hearts glad with your
words. The Black Snake of the North has
lately hidden in the grass near the wigwams of
your friends. In the darkness they caught us.
While we slept, they struck. They have carried
off our women, our children, and our horses.
We go to strike the head of the Black Snake.
We go to take back what is our own.
All the Braves. Alas ! Alas ! Oh Yah ! Yah !
Yah!
Eagle Arrow. Let our brothers speak on.
Spotted Tail. Your words make us glad, O Chief.
They wipe the tears from our eyes. We go to
strike the Snake. We go to take our own, but
we are few and the Snakes are many. We
come to ask if the young men of the White
Stonys will go with us.
All the Braves. Oh Yah ! Yah ! Yah !
Eagle Arrow. Our hearts are hot for our brothers.
My young men think the time long till they
76
Canadian Pacific Railways
NIAGARA FALLS.
are upon the war trail. They have painted
their hearts. They wait but to paint their faces
before they go with my brothers to strike the
head of the Black Snake of the North.
All the Braves ( tossing up their tomahawks). Oh
Yah! Yah! Yah!
They Bury the Hatchet
Sleepy Eye then took from his bag a small
hatchet painted red. He handed it across the
fire to Eagle Arrow. The Chief made a hole in
the earth with the point of an arrow and laid the
hatchet in it. He put a handful of earth upon
the hatchet. Each warrior of the tribe laid a
handful of earth upon the hatchet and Eagle
Arrow stamped upon it with his foot.
This was to show that the White Stony Indians
had forgotten all quarrels with Sleepy Eye and
his tribe and were their friends.
When the hatchet was buried., Spotted Tail
took from his bag a belt of dark wampum and
handed it across the fire to Eagle Arrow. Eagle
Arrow took it and held it up so that all could
see it. He tied it to a pole set in the ground near
the fire, and all the Braves sprang up and began
to dance and shout and wave their tomahawks
around it.
77
When Eagle Arrow took the belt of dark wam-
pum, he meant that he and his tribe would go
with Sleepy Eye and his young men to fight
the Crees and take back that which they
had stolen.
The War Dance
That night the two tribes danced a war dance
together. The Squaws made a great feast. The
White Stony Indians ate as much as ever they
could. At an Indian feast it is rude not to eat
all you can. The warriors painted their faces.
Some of them painted their horses, too. They
put feathers in their hair, took off their deerskin
clothes and put on their war belts and war
bonnets. They danced wildly about the fire all
night long. They sang and shouted. They cut
themselves with their knives and put blood on
their faces and hands. They sang songs telling
what they had done in other fights. They shouted
what they would do in the war against the Black
Snakes. The Medicine Men beat drums all night
long to keep the dance going.
78
The Prayer to the Sun
The next morning was cloudy. They could not
see the sun.
The warriors caught their horses and took
plenty of arrows. They put their knives and
tomahawks into their belts. Each warrior stood
beside his horse ready to mount.
Sleepy Eye stood out toward the east. He
raised his arms toward the sun and made a
prayer to the Great Spirit. He asked the Great
Spirit to help them to catch the Crees and to
win back their women, their children and their
horses.
As he finished making his prayer, the sun broke
through the clouds and shone upon the camp and
the warriors standing beside their horses. The
Braves thought this was the Great Spirit’s answer
and that He would be sure to help them. They
shouted and tossed up their tomahawks. Then
they rode off after the Crees.
They caught the Snakes, fought with them and
won back their wives and children. It was a great
battle. War Hawk fought bravely in it. It was
after this fight that he was made a Chief.
79
THE BOY AND THE LION
A Huron mother once wished her little son to
be very brave and strong.
She took him far into the woods, built a little wig-
wam for him, told him to watch, and left him there.
The next morning she went to ask if he had
seen anything in the night. He had seen nothing
but a turkey. The mother was not pleased with
that so she left him alone again.
That night a Lion came to the boy’s wigwam.
At first the lad was frightened, but the Lion said
that he had come to make friends and offered to
shake hands. The boy said he would have to ask
his mother first.
Next morning the mother came again to see
what had happened to her boy. When he told
her about the Lion she was very pleased. She
made him a fine hunting shirt of deerskin and
sent him out to hunt.
As he walked through the woods he met the
Lion again. This time he shook hands with the
Lion, who gave him a small bag with a bit of his
own heart in it. The boy thanked the Lion kindly
for the bag and tied it around his neck.
Ever since that time the boy fears nothing and
always finds game when he goes out hunting.
80
HOW THE INDIANS
LEARNED TO MAKE CLAY DISHES
One morning, in the Moon of Red Lilies, Little
Crooked Eye’s mother left him to mind the baby
while she went to gather wild strawberries.
Little Crooked Eye took the Papoose down to
the river edge to play. He played with her in
the water all the morning.
When he heard his mother call he took the
Papoose under his arm and tried to go back to the
Tee-pee, but his feet sank in the soft mud. He
could not pull them out. He set the Papoose
down and her feet stuck too. Their mother
came and lifted them out. They laughed to see
the shape of their feet in the mud.
Next day the tribe moved away from that river.
They were gone all summer. When they came
back in the autumn, Little Crooked Eye found
the print of his feet still in the mud. The sun
had dried the footmarks till they were quite hard.
They looked like four little mud bowls.
Little Crooked Eye took one of the footprints
to the Tee-pee and showed it to his mother. He
played with it all day. By and by he put some
water in it and it melted away.
Next day Little Crooked Eye took another foot-
F 8l
print to play with. This time he put some coals
from the fire into it. Then he forgot it and the
coals burned in the footprint all night. The next
morning it was so hard that when he put some
water in it, it did not melt but held the water.
He played at carrying water in it all that day.
That night he showed it to his mother.
Little Crooked Eye’s mother was a wise woman.
She took some of the mud and shaped a bowl
out of it. She put coals in it to burn it hard. It
held water or soup or anything. She showed the
other Squaws how to do it.
So the Indians learned how to make clay dishes.
THE LEGEND OF NIAGARA
White Cloud was very sad. The people in her
village were sick. Near the village lived an ugly
and wicked Giant. The Giant said that he could
make the people well, and that he would cure
them if White Cloud would marry him. White
Cloud felt that she would rather die than marry
the Giant.
She stepped into her canoe and pushed out
into the river. It bore her swiftly down toward
the Great Falls. The Spirit of the Falls saw her
coming. He was sorry for her. He caught her
canoe as it rushed over the rock, and took her to
his Cave of the Winds behind the water.
82
White Cloud stayed with the Spirit all winter.
He told her many secrets. He told her that it
was the Wicked Giant who made her people sick,
and that if they moved their village away from
the water’s edge they would soon be well again.
In the spring, White Cloud went back to her
father’s wigwam. She told her people what the
Spirit of the Falls had said. They moved their
Tee-pees away from the water and put them on
a hill in the forest. From that very day, all those
who were sick grew well again.
The Giant was very angry because the people
moved their Tee-pees away and because they
would not give him White Cloud for his wife. In
his rage he threw himself into the river. The
busy water carried him down to the Great Falls.
His body was so big and so heavy that when it
went over the Falls it bent the rock. That is
why the Great Falls are bent in the shape
of a horseshoe.
83
Pollard, Calgary
THE CHICKEN DANCE SOCIETY
The Indian Braves have societies as the White
Men have. Perhaps your father is a Mason or an
Elk. Little Bear’s father, Kogum, is a member
of the Chicken Dance Society.
The Chicken Dance Society is an important
one. Only the bravest and best Indians may
belong to it. Not only must they be brave in
war, good hunters, and honest men, the members
of the Chicken Dance must be wise Peace Chiefs
and kind to everyone.
Look at the members of the Chicken Dance
Society in the picture. They have beautiful robes,
bonnets, and guns, but their faces are more inter-
esting than the things they carry. Look at each
face. You can tell that they are brave and strong
and wise Chiefs.
84
THE WICKED WITCH
In the far west by the sea, in the country of the
Siwash Indians, lived a Wicked Witch who caught
little children and hid them in her wigwam. No
one ever knew what she did with them.
One day some children were quarrelling and
one of them called out, “ O Witch, come and take
Tavots, for he is bad.” The moment he called,
the Witch came out of the woods. She put pitch
in the eyes of all the children so that they could
not see where she took them, and then she carried
them off to her wigwam. As she strode through
the woods, two little boys caught hold of a tree
and so pulled themselves out from under her
arms. When they had washed the pitch out of
their eyes, they ran home and told what had
happened.
The parents of the lost children felt very sad.
One mother sat on the sea shore and cried until
her tears made quite a large pool in the sand.
As she sat beside the pool crying, she saw a tiny
little boy in it. She took him home and fed him.
He grew so fast that in two days he was a strong
man. He asked her why she cried so much. She
told him about the Wicked Witch and how she
85
had stolen her little girl. “ Do not cry any more.
Mother,” said the strong Young Man, “ I will go
and save her.”
He went through the woods till he came to the
river near the Witch’s house, and there he hid in
a tree. When the Witch came down to drink she
saw his face in the water.
“ Young Man,” she said, “what makes you
so very beautiful? ”
“ I lay on the ground,” said the Young Man,
“and my mother put a flat stone on my head.
If you lie down and let me put a stone on your
head, you may be beautiful too.”
The Wicked Witch lay down, and the Young
Man put so heavy a stone on her head that it
killed her.
Then he went into the Tee-pee, untied all
the little children she had hidden there and took
them home to their parents.
86
LITTLE HOLE-IN-THE-CHEEK
This is Kewis and
Little Hole-in-the-
cheek.
War Hawk and his
tribe were hunting
in the foothills.
Each morning, the
warriors rode off to
hunt the Wild Goat,
but Little Bear and
the other boys
stayed near the camp
to guard the women.
One afternoon the
boys went up into
the hills to shoot
with their bows and
arrows. In the
Nobie, Banff bushes between two
hills they found a small Tee-pee. They hid in
the bushes for a time, but could see no one. At
last Little Bear said he was going to look inside.
When he came near the wigwam he heard a
child cry. He hid in the bushes again, but
nothing stirred, so he lifted up the flap of the
87
tent and peeped in. A poor mother lay on the
floor dead, and beside her the Papoose cried and
kicked. The boys took the Papoose home to the
camp and the women fed her.
That night War Hawk held a Council to see
who should adopt the baby. Kewis begged to
have her. Every man, woman, and child in the
camp gave her a gift. Little Bear and Eyes-in-
the- water gave her her moccasins. Kewis loves
her and takes good care of her.
They call her Little Hole-in-the-cheek because
of her pretty dimples.
JOSEPH BRANT
Joseph Brant was a Chief of the Mohawk Indians.
When he was a boy, he went to the white man’s
school. There he learned many useful things
which he taught his Indians.
Joseph Brant was a good friend to the British.
In his day the British were fighting with the
Americans. The Americans wished Chief Brant
to fight on their side. They offered him many
things if he would join them. But Brant said
that the British had been kind to him and he
would not leave them when they were in trouble.
While the war was going on, the American
soldiers came to take a fort where the British
88
were. Only women and old men were left in the
fort. They could not fight so they thought they
would try to get across the lake into Canada.
Joseph Brant helped them to get safely over.
The British gave Brant a large piece of land near
Brantford, Ontario. He brought all his Mohawks
with him and lived there happily ever after.
NENEBOJOS AND POKWIS
Nenebojos and Pokwis lived near Niagara Falls
in Ontario. They were brothers. In the summer
they fished and dried the fish to eat in the winter.
One day in the autumn Pokwis said : “ This
winter let us eat all your fish first and then eat
mine.” Nenebojos said he was willing to do this,
so every day Pokwis came to his brother’s wigwam
and got fish for himself and his family.
Soon Nenebojos had used up all his fish.
“ Now,” said he, “ we will begin to use your
fish, Pokwis.” But next day when he went over
to the other wigwam to get fish, Pokwis would
not give him any.
Nenebojos and his family were very hungry, so
he went out into the woods to hunt. There he
saw an arrow fall and heard someone call, “ That
is my arrow, bring it to me.” Nenebojos picked
89
up the arrow and gave it to a tall man who
stood near.
“ Now,” said the man, “ I know how wicked
Pokwis has been. I know you have no food. Do
as I tell you and you will have plenty. Go to
the lake and cut a large piece of ice. Tie a rope
around it and carry it home on your back. Do
not look back once while you are carrying the ice.
When you reach home, put the ice in a hole and
cover it up till morning.”
Nenebojos did this, and next morning he found
a fine lot of fish in the hole. Every morning
when he went out to look there were plenty of
fish in the hole.
By and by Pokwis had eaten all his fish, and he
came to ask Nenebojos where he got so many
fine fish when the lakes and rivers were all frozen
over. Nenebojos told him about the man he had
met in the woods.
“ Well,” said Pokwis, “ I will go out and meet
that man, too.” So he did. He picked up the arrow
and gave it to the tall man. He was told to go to
the lake, cut a piece of ice and carry it home on
his back. “And be sure,” said the tall man,
“ not to look back while you are carrying the
ice. No matter what you see or hear, do not
look back.”
Pokwis cut the ice and tied it upon his back.
It was almost night when he left the lake and
90
started home through the woods. As he walked
softly along he heard someone calling, “ Thief!
Thief ! Where are you going, Thief ? What are
you carrying on your back, Thief ? ”
Nenebojos had heard these voices, too, but as
he was not a thief, he knew the voice was not
calling him and he went on toward home. But
Pokwis was a thief, so he thought the voice was
calling him. He was afraid. He looked round.
As he did so the ice melted and he had nothing
to take home.
Nenebojos lived in plenty all winter, but Pok-
wis had only a few small rabbits to live upon
till spring.
91
THE TOTEM POLE
This is a Totem Pole.
Many of the Indian
tribes have Totems.
The Totem is an animal
which the tribe chooses
for its own. One tribe
chose the Bear for its
Totem, another chose
the Wolf.
Every Indian loves his
Totem animal. He thinks
it will help him to fight
well. When he goes
hunting he never kills
his Totem animal.
When the tribe camps
in one place for a long
time, they often build
a Totem Pole to do
honour to their Totem animal. They build it of
wood. They make the head of it like the head of
their Totem animal. They carve strange faces and
lines all over it. Then they paint the faces with
bright colours. They set the Totem Pole up in
the centre of the camp where everyone may see it.
92
HIS BEST FRIEND
Running Wolf, Chief of the Sioux Indians,
heard a whisper in his heart. It told him that he
must set out at once for the Happy Hunting
Ground. Running Wolf knew that it was the
Great Spirit speaking to him, so he set off that
very day toward the West.
His Squaw and his two sons said they would
go with him, at least as far as the gate. His dog,
too, ran on behind them.
They walked many days through the woods
and across the prairie toward the West. At last
the little son grew tired. He hid himself in the
bushes and lay down to sleep.
Then the oldest son said, “ My little brother
is lost, I must go back to find him.” He turned
back and hid himself in the bushes to sleep.
Now they began to go up into the mountains.
The trail was very steep and rough. The Squaw
fell upon her face. When she got up Running
Wolf was out of sight. “ I will go to find my
sons,” said the Squaw, and she, too, turned back.
The little dog still ran on after his master. The
mountains were very high and the trail grew
worse and worse. The little dog’s feet were
bleeding, his tongue hung out of his mouth. Still
he ran on after his master.
At last Running Wolf came up to the gate of
the Happy Hunting Ground. He rapped and
called out, “ I am Running Wolf. The Great
Spirit called me. I am come.”
The Great Spirit came to the gate and said,
“Welcome, Running Wolf; but where are those
who set out with you? 55
“ They were tired,” said Running Wolf, “ and
went back.”
“Who is this that has come all the way with
you? ”
“ This is the one who loved me best of all,”
said Running Wolf, “ my little dog.”
“He is welcome here,” said the Great Spirit.
So the little dog went into the Happy Hunting
Ground with his master.
94
HOW HIAWATHA WENT
TO THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
“ I am going, O Nokomis,
On a long and distant journey.
To the portals of the sunset.”
Forth into the village went he,
Bade farewell to all the warriors.
Turned and waved his hand at parting.
Launched the Birch-canoe for sailing,
Whispered to it, “ Westward, westward ! 55
And with speed it darted forward.
Westward, westward Hiawatha
Sailed into the fiery sunset.
Sailed into the dusk of evening.
And the people from the margin
Watched him floating, rising, sinking,
Like the New Moon, slowly, slowly
Sinking in the purple distance.
And they said, “ Farewell for ever! ”
Said, “ Farewell, O Hiawatha! 55
Longfellow.
95
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to offer sincere thanks to the Musson Book Co, Ltd.,
of Toronto, for their permission to reprint The Lullaby of the
Iroquois , by E. Pauline Johnson, and the photograph of the
author; also to the Canadian Pacific Railway and the several
professional photographers, to whom acknowledgments are
made under the reproductions of their work, and to private
friends who have generously given me the use of photographs.
I.6TCHWORTH
Great Britain
EDUCATION LIBf;
FC 172 0535 BK-2
DICKIE D J 1883-1972
DENT S CANADIAN HISTORY
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